Medical patient&#39;s gown



Jan. 20, 1970 R. o. KELTNER 3,490,072

MEDICAL PATIENTS GOWN Filed Aug. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORRaymond 0. Ke/Tnew ATYfiR'NEYS.

Jan. 0, 1970 R. o. KELTNER Momz MEDICAL PATIENT S GOWN Filed Aug. 13,1967 2 Sheets-Sheet B v INVENTOR Raymond G. Ke/Tner United States PatentO 3,490,072 MEDICAL PATIENTS GOWN Raymond 0. Keltner, 8900 Pawnee Lane,Leawood, Kans. 66206 Filed Aug. 3, 1967, Sex. No. 658,260 Int. Cl. A41d9/00 U.S. Cl. 2-114 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An examination orhosptial gown has selectively positionable blouse panels and skirt flapsto provide the physician access to an area of the body under examinationwhile preventing exposure of regions foreign to such area. The blousesection of the gown is of sleeveless design and the entire gown isseparation-free below the arm openings except for side slits defined bythe skirt flaps. One side of the gown is closed by a solid stretch offabric, while the other side is closed by pressure-sensitive fasteningmeans that, when released, communicates the slit at that side with thearm opening thereabove.

Medical doctors must frequently examine the normally clothed areas ofpatients in the usual course of their practice. Commonly, prior toexamination, a patient disrobes and puts on an examination gown, whichis beneficial both from the standpoint of the patients modesty and easeof examination by the physician.

Examination and hospital gowns in widespread use at the present time,however, have three significant disadvantages. First, the gown, byvirtue of its design, usually unnecessarily exposes areas of the bodyforeign to the area under examination. Secondly, access to the regionexamination is usually provided by front or back, central verticalopenings which oftentimes gap badly when the wearer is seated or walkingduring non-examination periods causing patient embarrassment. Thirdly,because of the usual shoulder and sleeve design, it is very difficult tochange gowns on comatose or bedfast patients.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide anexamination gown for a medical patient which is not characterized by theaforesaid disadvantages.

As a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of theinstant invention to provide such a gown which is equally suitable foruse in a physicians office or for patient wear in a hospital or nursinghome and, in addition, equally suitable for an ambulatory patient or fora comatose, bedfast or immobile patient, and which may be easily changedon the bedfast patient.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a gown asaforesaid, either for use in a hospital or a doctors office, whichpermits selective access to the normally clothed areas of a male orfemale patient without unnecessary exposure.

Still another important object is to provide a gown as aforesaid whichis also an attractive garment to substantially improve the appearance ofthe wearer as compared with examination and hospital gowns of the priorart.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide anexamination or hospital gown which may be made of either cloth orsynthetic fabric for repeated wear or of a paper material for disposableuse, and which utilizes pressuresensitive fastening means with eithertype of material to eliminate buttons, snaps or the like.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a female-styled gown of paper fabriccomposition, the gown being shown open and laid flat with its insidefacing the viewer;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the gown of FIG. 1 shown on a model andillustrating the selectively positionable front skirt flap;

FIG. 3 is a rear and left side view of the gown of FIG. 1 showing thesame on a model and illustrating the back blouse panel in an openposition to permit examination of the patients back;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the various stages of dressing a comatose,bedfast or immobile patient;

FIG. 7 is a front and right side view of a male version of the gown madeof cloth fabric and illustrated on a model; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, exploded, detail view of the right side of thegown of FIG. 7 showing the pressure-sensitive textile fasteners.

The configuration of the article when removed from a wearer and laidopen is illustrated in FIG. 1. The outline of the article of FIG. 1represents the pattern from which the gown would be cut duringmanufacture. The article is shown in FIG. 1 with its inside face up, andcomprises a unitary, paper fabric sheet having a periphery defined by apair of parallel side edges 10 and 12, a straight end margin 14perpendicular to edges 10 and 12 and forming square corners 16 and 18,and an irregular end margin 20 having a pair of opposed, inwardly curvedsegments 22 and 24 merging with edges 10 and 12 respectively.

A slit 26 in the sheet is disposed approximately midway between edges 10and 12 in parallelism therewith and communicates with the straightmargin 14. Slit 26 extends inwardly to its termination 28 which is inlateral alignment wtih an inside corner point 30 formed by an offsetportion 12a of edge 12. A central, separation-free stretch 32 of thesheet extends from the termination 28 of slit 26 to a generallyoval-shaped opening 34 in the sheet aligned with slit 26 and defining aportion of the irregular margin 20.

Noting FIGS. 2 and 3, the article of FIG. 1 forms a gown when edgeportion 12a and the coresponding part of edge 10 are brought together,stretch 32 being disposed at the right side of the female patient (FIG.2). Opening 34 provides an opening for the right arm of the patient,while the marginal segments 22 and 24 define an opening for the left armof the patient. It may be appreciated that an upper and a lowerexamination garment are effectively formed by a sleeveless blousesection 36 and a skirt section 38, the the blouse section 36 including afront blouse panel 40 and a back blouse panel 42, while the skirtsection 38 includes a front skirt flap 44 and a back skirt flap 46.

The front blouse panel 40 is provided with a pair of shoulder straps 48which cooperate with a pair of shoulder straps 50 forming a part of theback blouse panel 42. A pressure-sensitive, adhesive coating 52 isapplied to the back side of straps 48 at the ends thereof, each coating52 being brought into contact with a similar coating on the outside ofthe corresponding shoulder strap 50 to secure the straps together. Thecoating material may comprise rubber cement or any other suitablematerial which adheres to a surface that is also coated with thematerial upon pressure contact, but which preferably is not tacky to thetouch or adherent to other non-adhesive coated surfaces.

It will now be appreciated that front blouse panel 40 and front skirtflap 44, being formed from a single length of fabric, present acontinuous robe front 54 and that, similarly, the back blouse panel 42and the back skirt flap 46 present a continuous robe back 56. The waistportion of the gown is entirely separation-free, the only separationsbelow the arm openings being provided by the slit 26 at the right sidebetween the skirt flaps 44 and 46, and the side slit at the left sidedefined by approximately the lower one-half of side edges 10 and 12.

A coating 58 of adhesive material is applied to the inside of robe front54 along approximately the upper one-half of edge 10, such materialbeing of the pressuresensitive type as discussed above with respect tocoatings 52. Similarly, the offset edge portion 12a of robe back 56 hasa similar coating of adhesive material applied to its outer face sothat, when the gown is put on, offset edge portion 12a may be slippedinto underlying relationship to the coating 58 and the two coatedsurfaces pressed together to close the left side of the gown. Since thegown shown in FIGS. 1-3 is made of a paper fabric, preferably anabsorbent, soft, fibrous composition similar to paper toweling, the gownis intended as a disposable item for use only once by an individualpatient. Suitable reinforcing strips may be utilized at critical pointsand glued in place, as illustrated at 60. The female gown could also bemade of cloth fabric with the design the same as for the paper gownshown except for certain reinforcements and seams, and would then be areusable item, just as the cloth male gown shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to bedescribed hereinafter.

The length of rise of the slit 26 and the slit defined by edges 10 and12 is important to the efiicient utilization of the instant invention.Each slit preferably has a length equal to or slightly greater in lengththan one-half the distance between margin or hem 14 and the arm openingthereabove. For example, a length of approximately 16 inches for theslit and 13 inches for the distance between the termination of the slitand the arm opening thereabove is suggested for women of normal height.Of course, in order to impart the improved appearance to the individualwhich will be gained through the use of the gown of the instantinvention, gowns of various sizes for children and adults would beprovided in various colors to enhance their apparance and to enable morerapid selection of the proper size by color coding. The objective of thelength of the slits in the skirt is to locate the terminations 28 and 30of the slits at the proper height to allow adequate examination of theback or abdomen when the skirt flaps are selectively raised and yet whenthe skirt flaps are in their normal positions, to provide a gown whichis comfortable and attractive for the wearer. The terminations 28 and 30will normally be at the level, or slightly above, of the maximum breadthof the hips of the wearer. This will usually be at the level, orslightly above, of the heads of the femurs.

From a study of FIGS. 2 and 3, it may be seen that the two panels 40and42 and the two flaps 44 and 46-, by selective positioning thereof,permit access to normally clothed areas of the body without undueexposure of the patient. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the frontskirt flap 44 may be raised while the other flap and the panels remainin place; similarly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the back blouse panel 42may be lowered by releasing the shoulder straps 48, 50 while the patientholds the front blouse panel 40 in place and the skirt flaps remainundisturbed. Manifestly, this selective positioning feature applies toeach of the panels and flaps and, additionally, the left side of thegown may be opened if desired to expose the entire front or back forexamination. In such case, however, it should be understood that it isnot necessary to completely remove the gown since one or both of theshoulder straps may remain attached while the examining physician movesthe robe front 54 or the robe back '56 aside. Therefore, it is notrequired that the gown be slipped off over the head or dropped from theshoulders.

The important and necessary features of the instant invention whichpermit its use on comatose, bedfast or immobile patients are a solidside (the central, separationfree stretch 32), an open side (closed bythe pressuresensitive edges .10 and 12a), and the releasable shoulderstraps. These features enable the changing of gowns just as bed sheetsare commonly changed. A fresh gown is laid over the comatose, bedfast orimmobile patient and by selectively turning the patient the clean gownis put on as the soiled gown is removed, without exposing the unclothedbody of the patient. The releasable shoulder straps also permit theputting on or removing of the gown from a patient receiving intravenousfluids or wearing upper extremity casts or traction devices. Thisusually is not possible with gowns with the customary shoulder andsleeve design.

Particularly with respect to the dressing of a comatose patient, FIGURES4-6 illustrate a second method of putting the gown on such a patient. Afemale patient is shown and she initially rests on her left side. Theouter side portion of the robe back 56 is folded in an accordion mannerand is slipped partially under her, and then she is rolled upon her backand/or right side onto the robe back 56, which is then pulled properlyunder her, as shown in FIG. 5. Next, she is covered with the robe front54, this being readily effected since the sleeveless blouse designenables the shoulder straps 48 to be brought beneath the right arm ofthe patient onto her chest, and then connected to the straps 50 of therobe back 56. Dressing is completed by pressing the adhesive coating 58against the coated surface along edge portion 12a to close the left sideof the gown.

In FIG. 7, a male version of the gown is illustrated and is styledsimilar to a Roman toga. The male gown is cut from a pattern quitesimilar to that illustrated in FIG. 1, except that the shoulder strapsare broader and a belt 62 is added to provide a more masculineappearance. The belt, while not an essential part of the invention, alsoallows both the front and back portions of the blouse to be dropped towaist level, exposing the upper portion of the body, yet allwing thelower half to be securely covered. The same reference characters areutilized to designate components of the male gown identical in functionto components of the female gown previously illustrated, with theaddition of the prime notation.

The male gown of FIG. 7 is shown made of cloth, which may be cotton, asynthetic, or a combination thereof, or a similar fabric which enablesthe gown to be laundered and reused. The cloth would preferably betreated with a process to reduce wrinkling and to eliminate the need forironing after laundering. The male gown could also be made of a papermaterial for disposable use, just as for the female gown.

It is preferred that, when using paper material, the entire gown be cutfrom a single sheet of paper to provide the added strength of unitaryconstruction. However, in the cloth materials the robe front and robeback may be cut separately and sewn together. In either case, theseparation-free stretch 32 would functionally be a solid portioncompletely closing one side of the gown.

It should be noted that the side edges 10 and 12 of the male gown appearat the right side thereof rather than the left as in he female gown.This reversal is for purposes of styling only and has no effect on thefunctional characteristics of the gown. Thus, it should be understoodthat, in viewing FIG. 1, for a male gown the robe front and robe backwould be interchanged.

FIGURE 8 illustrates the means of closing the right side of the cloth,male-styled garment of FIG. 7. A pair of textile strips 64 are spacedalong edge 12a on the outside of robe back 56', and a pair of textilestrips 66 are located opposite strips 64 on the inside of robe front 54'adjacent edge 10. The strips 64 and 66 are sold under the trademarkVelcro and are composed of a synthetic resin textile material made inaccordance with the teachings of De Mestral, U.S. Letters Patent No.2,717,437, granted Sept. 13, 1955.

Each of the strips has raised pile threads which interlock with the pilethreads of the opposite strip upon pressure contact therewith. Thus, thewearer aligns edge 10' with edge 12', thereby placing strips 66 directlyover strips 64 and then presses the strips together to close the side ofthe gown. This secures edges 10' and 12a in overlapping relationship toeach other; the strips are released by simply pulling the same apart bya stripping motion.

The strips 64 and 66 are particularly advantageous in that, besidesproviding a fast and convenient means of closing the side opening, theyare unaffected by repeated washings and are not susceptible to fractureor other damage as would be the case with buttons or similar fasteners.In addition they do not visualize on X-ray films and are, therefore, anadvantage for patients receiving these studies over metal fasteners andcertain buttons. With respect to the shoulder straps of the clothgarment, the Velcro strips would also be utilized and positioned in thesame locations as illustrated for the adhesive coatings of the papergown.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A medical patients gown comprising a generally rectangular, singlesheet of flexible material having in combination:

a pair of free side edges, each provided with an inwardly curved,arm-receiving segment at the uppermost end thereof;

a straight bottom margin perpendicular to said side edges and spanningthe distance between the latter;

an irregular upper margin spanning the distance between said segments;

a slit midway of and parallel to said side edges, presenting a frontskirt flap on one side of the slit and a back skirt fiap on the oppositeside of the slit,

said upper margin having a pair of spaced concavities and a central,oval-shaped, notch-like, arm-receiving opening midway between theconcavities, aligned with the slit and extending downwardly toward theslit, presenting a central, separation-free area between the opening andthe slit and extending from one side edge to the other side edge, afront blouse panel on one side of said opening, and a back blouse panelon the opposite side of said opening,

said slit extending upwardly from the bottom margin approximately halfthe distance between the opening and bottom margin;

a first pair of spaced shoulder straps at the upper end of said openingadjacent proximal concavities; and

a second pair of spaced shoulder straps at the uppermost and outermostextremities of said blouse panels between proximal segments andconcavities,

said straps and said area having releasably securable pressure-sensitivefastening means thereon,

the fastening means on said area being adjacent said side edges anddisposed between each segment and a point approximately half thedistance between the respective segment and said bottom margin,

one of said side edges having an offset portion upon which the fasteningmeans of said area is disposed,

said portion extending between the respective segment and said pointtherebelow,

said fastening means being secured whereby said sheet presents a gownprovided with continuous robe front and a continuous robe back having asleeveless blouse section and being open at the outside of one leg of awearer along said slit and at the outside of the other leg of a weareralong said side edges below said offset portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,046 4/1924 Thompson 21 142,768,383 10/1956 De Witt 2114 3,154,789 11/1964 Lewis 2104 3,156,92711/1964 Grimm et al. 2-114 X 3,276,036 10/1966 Cater 2-114 3,343,5379/1967 Graham 2ll4 X 3,359,569 [2/1967 RotanZ et al 2-114 OTHERREFERENCES Cheri Lamb, Inc. Brochure, Nov. 21, 1966 (Copy AvailableGroup 365).

RICHARD J. SCANLAN, JR., Primary Examiner

